AP Officials To Hold Civic Polls in Kotia Villages Despite Odisha Minister’s Threats
Elections for MPTCs, ZPTC and Five Sarpanches Planned Amid Inter-State Dispute
Visakhapatnam: Despite threats by the minister of Odisha that they would thwart AP government’s plans to conduct local body elections in Kotia villages, Andhra Pradesh officials said they would go ahead with the elections.
The 21 Kotia villages come under Salur tahsildar in Parvathipuram Manyam district. Talking to this correspondent on Monday, tahsildar Suresh Mamidipalli said elections would be held for three MPTCs, one ZPTC, and five sarpanches. MPTC and ZPTC polls would be held on November 3. Panchayat polls would be in phases on November 26, November 29, and December 2. Elections in Kotia might be held on any of these dates, the tahsildar stated.
Kotia villages have 1,105 households with a population of 4,349. Of them, 2,288 are females and 2,061 are males.
“We will establish polling booths at Nerallavalasa village with all security. People will have to come down from their hilltop villages and cast their votes,” Suresh stated.
Responding to Odisha minister Suresh Pujari statement that it is not advisable for AP government to conduct polls in Kotia villages when a Supreme Court stay is in force, former AP deputy chief minister Peedika Rajanna Dora said the apex court imposed the stay in 1968. Subsequently, local body elections had been held in 2021 and general elections in 2024. People of Kotia villages had participated and cast their votes on both occasions.
“If the alliance government is sincere, elections can be conducted smoothly without any disturbance,” Rajanna Dora maintained.
